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Definitions For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions apply:

(1) ‘natural gas’ means gas that primarily consists of methane, including biomethane, or other types of gas, that can technically and safely be injected into, and transported through, the natural gas system;

(2) ‘renewable gas’ means biogas as defined in Article 2, point (28), of Directive (EU) 2018/2001including biogas that has been upgraded to biomethane, and renewable fuels of non-biological origin as defined in Article 2, point (36), of that Directive;

(3) ‘natural gas system’ means a system of infrastructure, including pipelines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and natural gas storage facilities, which transports natural gas;

(4) ‘hydrogen system’ means a system of infrastructure, including hydrogen networks, hydrogen storage and hydrogen terminals, which contains hydrogen of a high grade of purity;

(5) ‘hydrogen storage facility’ means a facility used for the stocking of hydrogen of a high grade of purity:

(a) including the part of a hydrogen terminal used for storage but excluding the part used for production operations and facilities reserved exclusively for hydrogen network operators in carrying out their functions;

(b) including large, in particular underground, hydrogen storage but excluding smaller, easily replicable hydrogen storage installations;

(6) ‘hydrogen storage operator’ means a natural or legal person that carries out the function of storage of hydrogen and is responsible for operating a hydrogen storage facility;

(7) ‘hydrogen linepack’ means the storage of hydrogen of a high grade of purity by compression in hydrogen networks, excluding facilities reserved for hydrogen network operators carrying out their functions;

(8) ‘hydrogen terminal’ means an installation used for the offloading and transformation of liquid hydrogen or liquid ammonia into gaseous hydrogen for injection into the hydrogen network or the natural gas system or the liquefaction of gaseous hydrogen and its onloading, including ancillary services and temporary storage necessary for the transformation process and subsequent injection into the hydrogen network, but not any part of the hydrogen terminal used for storage;

(9) ‘hydrogen terminal operator’ means a natural or legal person that carries out the function of offloading and transformation of liquid hydrogen or liquid ammonia into gaseous hydrogen for injection into the hydrogen network or the natural gas system or the liquefaction and onloading of gaseous hydrogen and is responsible for operating a hydrogen terminal;

(10) ‘hydrogen quality’ means hydrogen purity and contaminants in line with applicable hydrogen quality standards for the hydrogen system;

(11) ‘low-carbon hydrogen’ means hydrogen the energy content of which is derived from non-renewable sources, which meets the greenhouse gas emission reduction threshold of 70 % compared to the fossil fuel comparator for renewable fuels of non-biological origin set out in the methodology for assessing greenhouse gas emissions savings from renewable fuels of non-biological origin and from recycled carbon fuels, adopted pursuant to Article 29a(3) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

(12) ‘low-carbon gas’ means the part of gaseous fuels in recycled carbon fuels as defined in Article 2, point (35), of Directive (EU) 2018/2001, low-carbon hydrogen and synthetic gaseous fuels the energy content of which is derived from low-carbon hydrogen, that meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction threshold of 70 % compared to the fossil fuel comparator for renewable fuels of non-biological origin set out in the methodology adopted pursuant to Article 29a(3) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

(13) ‘low-carbon fuels’ means recycled carbon fuels as defined in Article 2, point (35), of Directive (EU) 2018/2001, low-carbon hydrogen and synthetic gaseous and liquid fuels the energy content of which is derived from low-carbon hydrogen, that meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction threshold of 70 % compared to the fossil fuel comparator for renewable fuels of non-biological origin set out in the methodology adopted pursuant to Article 29a(3) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

(14) ‘hydrogen undertaking’ means a natural or legal person that carries out at least one of the following functions: production, transport, supply, purchase or storage of hydrogen or operation of a hydrogen terminal, and that is responsible for the commercial, technical or maintenance tasks related to those functions, excluding final customers;

(15) ‘natural gas undertaking’ means a natural or legal person that carries out production, transmission, distribution, supply, purchase or storage of natural gas, including LNG, and which is responsible for the commercial, technical or maintenance tasks related to those functions, excluding final customers;

(16) ‘upstream pipeline network’ means any pipeline or network of pipelines operated or constructed as part of an oil or natural gas production project, or used to convey natural gas from one or more such projects to a processing plant or terminal or final coastal landing terminal;

(17) ‘transmission’ means the transport of natural gas through a network, which mainly contains high-pressure pipelines, other than an upstream pipeline network and other than the part of high-pressure pipelines primarily used in the context of local distribution of natural gas, with a view to its delivery to customers, excluding supply;

(18) ‘transmission system operator’ means a natural or legal person that carries out the function of transmission and is responsible for operating, ensuring the maintenance of and, if necessary, developing the transmission system in a given area and, where applicable, its interconnections with other systems, and for ensuring the long-term ability of the system to meet reasonable demands for the transport of natural gas;

(19) ‘distribution’ means the transport of natural gas through local or regional pipeline networks with a view to its delivery to customers, excluding supply;

(20) ‘distribution system operator’ means a natural or legal person that carries out the function of distribution of natural gas and is responsible for operating, ensuring the maintenance of and, if necessary, developing the distribution system in a given area and, where applicable, its interconnections with other systems, and for ensuring the long-term ability of the system to meet reasonable demands for the distribution of natural gas;

(21) ‘hydrogen network’ means a network of onshore and offshore pipelines used for the transport of hydrogen of a high grade of purity with a view to its delivery to customers, excluding supply;

(22) ‘hydrogen transport’ means the transmission or distribution of hydrogen through a hydrogen network with a view to its delivery to customers, excluding supply;

(23) ‘hydrogen transmission network’ means a network of pipelines for the transport of hydrogen of a high grade of purity, in particular a network which includes hydrogen interconnectors or which is directly connected to hydrogen storage, hydrogen terminals or two or more hydrogen interconnectors or which primarily serves the purpose of transporting hydrogen to other hydrogen networks, hydrogen storage or hydrogen terminals, without excluding the possibility of such networks to serve the purpose of supplying directly connected customers;

(24) ‘hydrogen distribution network’ means a network of pipelines for the local or regional transport of hydrogen of a high grade of purity, which primarily serves the purpose of supplying directly connected customers and does not include hydrogen interconnectors, and which is not directly connected to hydrogen storage facilities or hydrogen terminals, unless the network in question was a natural gas distribution system on 4 August 2024 and has been partially or fully repurposed for the transport of hydrogen, or to two or more hydrogen interconnectors;

(25) ‘hydrogen network operator’ means a natural or legal person that carries out the function of hydrogen transport and is responsible for operating, ensuring the maintenance of and, if necessary, developing the hydrogen network in a given area and, where applicable, its interconnections with other hydrogen networks, and for ensuring the long-term ability of the system to meet reasonable demands for the transport of hydrogen;

(26) ‘hydrogen transmission network operator’ means a natural or legal person that is responsible for operating, ensuring the maintenance of and, if necessary, developing a hydrogen transmission network in a given area and, where applicable, its interconnections with other hydrogen networks, and for ensuring the long-term ability of the network to meet reasonable demands for hydrogen transport;

(27) ‘hydrogen distribution network operator’ means a natural or legal person that is responsible for operating, ensuring the maintenance of and, if necessary, developing a hydrogen distribution network in a given area and, where applicable, its interconnections with other hydrogen networks, and for ensuring the long-term ability of the network to meet reasonable demands for hydrogen transport;

(28) ‘supply’ means the sale, including resale, of natural gas, including LNG, or hydrogen, including in the form of liquid organic hydrogen carriers or liquid hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives including ammonia or methanol to customers;

(29) ‘supply undertaking’ means any natural or legal person that carries out the function of supply;

(30) ‘supplier of last resort’ means a supplier who is designated to take over the supply of natural gas to customers of a supplier which has ceased to operate;